Todd Eric Benzinger (born February 11, 1963) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the major ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who played a nine-year

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) career from 1987 to 1995.

Biography

Benzinger was born in

Dayton, Kentucky The City of Dayton, Kentucky, is a home rule-class city along a bend of the Ohio River in Campbell County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 5,338 at the 2010 census. It is less than from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Geography ...

, and is a graduate of New Richmond High School in

New Richmond, Ohio New Richmond, also known as New Richmond on the Ohio, is a village in Ohio and Pierce townships in Clermont County, Ohio, United States, founded in 1814, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,582 at the 2010 census. Geography New Richmon ...

. Benzinger started his MLB career with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

in 1987. He would later play for other teams such as the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

, and the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

. Benzinger ended his professional playing career in 1995 after playing with the Columbus Clippers, then a minor league affiliate of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

. He played the majority of his career at the

position, although he did occasionally play the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball a ...

. As a member of the Red Sox, Benzinger is legendary for his clutch hitting during the Sox' 1988 "Morgan Magic" run, particularly his 10th inning walk-off HR on July 20, 1988. This has been called "The Benzinger Game" by some Red Sox enthusiasts. Benzinger ended

Orel Hershiser Orel Leonard Hershiser IV (born September 16, 1958) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 2000. He later became a pitching coach for the Texas Rangers from 2002 to 2005 and a bro ...

's scoreless streak at 59 innings on an RBI hit in the first inning of Hershiser's first start of 1989.Simon, Mark
"Inside Hershiser's Scoreless Streak"
espn.go.com. September 30, 2013. Benzinger joined the Cincinnati Reds in 1989 and led the National League in at bats with 628. Benzinger was a member of the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 World Series, 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The ...

winning Reds which saw Cincinnati sweep the much favored

Oakland A's The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

in four games. Benzinger caught the last out in the 9th

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

of Game 4 to give the Reds a victory. From 2006 to 2008, Benzinger coached the girls' basketball team at Loveland High School in Loveland, Ohio. He managed the

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field. In ...

for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

References

External links

Stats
at MLB.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Benzinger, Todd 1963 births Living people Boston Red Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Kansas City Royals players Los Angeles Dodgers players San Francisco Giants players Major League Baseball first basemen Baseball players from Kentucky People from Dayton, Kentucky Elmira Pioneers players Winston-Salem Red Sox players Winter Haven Red Sox players New Britain Red Sox players Pawtucket Red Sox players Columbus Clippers players People from Loveland, Ohio Minor league baseball managers Sportspeople from the Cincinnati metropolitan area